Northwestern junior Kalea Bartolotto, a scorer for the Wildcats at the past three Big Ten Cross Country Championships and a member of the U.S. Under-20 lineup that took third as a team at the 2020 Pan Am Cup in British Columbia, Canada, after she placed third at the USATF Championships in San Diego, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss the Midwest Regional final Nov. 12 at the Ashton Cross Country Course in Iowa City, Iowa. Bartolotto, a graduate of Granada High in California, reflects on the third seventh-place finish in four seasons by Northwestern at the Big Ten championship meet Oct. 29 in State College, Pa., and how the Wildcats finished only eight points behind sixth-place Illinois and were 28 points away from fifth-place Indiana. She compares the anticipation of being able to race in a regional meet this fall versus only being able to race in the conference championship Jan. 30 in Indiana and that being the only cross country competition of the fall or winter for the Wildcats. Bartolotto analyzes the challenges Northwestern faces in its pursuit to qualify for the NCAA Division 1 Championships on Nov. 20 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. She examines how the Wildcats need to not only finish ahead of Illinois, but also knock off Big 12 runner-up Iowa State, in order to advance. Bartolotto explains the challenges presented by the Ashton Cross Country Course after Northwestern competed in a season-opening 4-kilometer race Sept. 3 in Iowa City and the benefits of racing on a muddy course Oct. 29 at the Big Ten final in preparation for the Wildcats returning to Iowa. She speaks about her ability to rebound from a disappointing effort to produce a strong performance, which she did following the Notre Dame Joe Piane Invitational on Oct. 1 to excel Oct. 15 at the Penn State National Open, and how Bartolotto will need to do so again at the Midwest Regional meet in order for the Wildcats to have an opportunity to qualify for nationals. Bartolotto also shares the impact of teammate Rachel McCardell, who placed fiffth at the Big Ten championship meet, and how her ability to run with the leaders in any race will benefit Northwestern's supporting cast during the race in Iowa. She talks about the mindset the Wildcats are embracing of flying together, in addition to taking on the underdog role. Bartolotto also shares her academic pursuits in biological sciences, with a concentration in health and human disease, plus a minor in business institutions, as her ambitions include working in global health, public health or research following graduation.